Inflated swimming suit



July 5, 1932. D. SIMON, JR

INFLATED SWIMMING SUIT Filed Got. 8, 1931 nve nTov. Dcmd S mQnJr. by kw( Mmmd Ays Patented July 5, 1932 rimini. sinon; Jn., Urmon, MASSACHSETTS- INFLATED 'SWIMMING SUIT;

'i Application filed October 8,1931; Serial No.r 567,531'.

f This invention relates to swimming accessories and'particularly to buoyant means to be'worn upon the body of the swimmer, .and has-forrits lgeneral objectto :provide a means to reduce the effort expended bythe swimmer duringlhis progress through the water.

Y A further object `of the invention is to fpro-` vide a means vto assistthe kswimmer by supply.- i'ng artificially .additional buoyancy to that I6 naturally supplied by theA17 displacement,4 of

waterby his body. Y v f A further object of the invention isto` provide :afdevice :which will presenta-stream line surface in place of thenatural contour `of the i bodyfand thereby reduce to a minimum the resistance ofthe water to forward movement of the-swimmer. e v 1 VAfurther object oftheinvention isto proT videa swimmingdevice which ymay beworn upon thebody without discomfort, vand without causing an awkward or unnatural ap; pearance of thewearer.y I l n A furtherobject of the invention islto -provide an'aid for swimming which may be secured in V,proper position upon the body with; in a special compartmentformed in abathing suit. Y l .v f l A further object .of the invention isto providea swimming apparatus having the .quali- S tiesabovepointed-out and which also serves to keep the swimmer afloat incase .of emergency. Y

Other and features-:will more appear from the following .description in connectionwith-the accompanying drawing, and

W'illfbe particularlypointed outin the claims,v

In thedrawing: Y t

F.ig. lxis a-cross sectionalfview through a preferred embodiment of thedevice secured 345 It isa well-known:factthat character of the 'surface and the shape of an object greatly affectthe resistance-it oers to 'forward motion ,in` water- Angreat dealof study and experimentation arek devotedl to they de;

o Sgnff thehullS (if every ser? 0f vater Craft@ of the swimmer.l

extreme sides of Vthe body.

in position upon the bodyofthe'swimmerincrease theirspeed.-

and i' ful design based on laws of hydraulics produce veryeicient results'. The gpresentlin-f n I i' vention applies such principles ofdesigniin increaslngthe speed yandredueing the effort'-65" flnasmuchaswater isnotxthe naturaliele-'g 1J Yment fori a human being,;hs body is 'notfpar-f ticularly adapted to4 propel itselfin a liquid? mini-mum.` It requiresrelativelygreat effort, l therefor, forthe humanlbeing totravel; over a; given distance y,in water. `,The Contour of the fr ont portionofthetrunk ofthe human body 1s irregular and unsuitable 4as'an aqua-4 plane surface. Toremedygthisfault andalso v aid in supporting the body Yin'water. af .hollowv` float or Ycasing lis constructed to'be ,wornat ,the yfront` portion ofthetrunk ofthe bogfly. i

The float desirably Vcovers thergreater portion ofthe 'front'.of the. body extending from thel 70 chest `substantially tothe lower extremityof the trunk and laterally` substantiallyl to the Y The float is constructed of a front plate` 2 and a vrear or-body plate 3 of vany suitable flexible material which is'impervous to fluid such. as 1rubbergori rubberized .abricu The front plate constitutes the Aaquaplane surface',

l whilethe bodyplatecontacts withtheibody. .The two `platesQand Snare joined'at/V their FG sidesto formia luidtight chamber 4. 'The bodyplate is shapedto vconform` .to the contour'of the -portiongof the bodylwhich it covers.v A plurality ofl longitudinal ribs Vi'ex-l tend throughout 'thelength of the io'atk and f3Y are lsecured ,at their edges to :boththe frontV and body plate and .extend laterally therebe# tween. The inner Vedge 6 ofthe ribs Awhich is securedl tothe body gplate 'is shaped vto cone fornito; the body-contour-throughouttheir l i length; while the!v other edge 7 Vofthe ribs is shaped to support the front plate in position topresenta stream line surfacegofthe proper shape toreduce toa-minimum the lresistance to forwardrmovement,oftheswnnmen1. The 95' l fribs -rserve Ialso to maintaina fixed relation It is possible to construct the float l. of material havingsuflicient .Igidityfto resist col- Y lapsewihou# infame a I@ is .desirable 1@ however, to provide means to iniate the float. Such means may consist of an inlet connection 8 containing a check valve and adapted to be A preferred'method of securing the float to the lbodyis to provide a recess or pocket 10 in the lfront section ofa bathing suit 11. Y The b *d y f. AM-2.... v

A buoyant swimming apparatus compocket may close entirelytheoat which may be sewedpermanently into position with- Yzo in the pocket or one end of the/'pocket may 15 be fastened with buttons onsnapfasteners'to permit insertion and removal ofthe float from the pocket, Instead of a-completely en -V closed pocket the iioatmay be attached'to theV Y bathing s uit by means of a plurality of fabric strips or other fastening devices of like character.

rl`heV float may be secured also Vto the body Y independently of the bathing suit,in4 which case it V'may be provided with straps 12-y shown indotted lines in Fig. 1 attached to the sides ofthe float and passed around the body to be secured at the back of the wearer by means of a bu'cklefl` or anyother suitable fastening means. In such'construction the float would 36 be provided'also with shoulder straps 14 to prevent the lioat from slipping downwardly upon the body. The float thus secured to the body is worn desirably beneath thebathing suit' directly in contact with the'body.

f for swimming. Much Aof the effort used inV Yeo front oraquaplane surface of the float. valuable v,feature of the-device is that in casev "'When the device is' in vposition upon-the body of 'the bather and heentersthe water,

lthe buoyancy ofthe float serves Vtofaid in sustaining his body in the correctV position swimming is consumed in: the effort ofthe Vswimmer to keep'afloat. With the use of the present inventionpractically the total Venergy of the swimmer may be utilized in propelling himself Y forwardly. The resistance to the Y forward movement of'theswimmer is reduced also Aby reason of the streamlining of the A of emergency, for instance, where a swimmer becomes exhausted or his muscles become in effective due to cramps, the'float serves to -maintain his body *in a safe position'near the surface of the water: A swimmer equipped with such a device is able'to'attain Va speed much greater Vthan has been attained here-AV tofore, and is also enabled 'to travel greater distancesthan Vwould be possible without the device. .j Having thus described the invention, what is claimedas new,and desired to besecured 'by Letters Patent, is: f f? apparatus comof the. trunk'ofthe body and covering `substantially the'whole areafthereof, a front plate overlying said body plate and secured at its edges thereto to form a fluid tight cham? ber therebetween and a plurality of Aribs situated between the two plates and secured to said body plate to maintain the contour thereof and secured to said front plateto support the. front'plate from the body plate in positionfto present a; streamline vouter Vsurfacewhich presents aminimum resistance to the progress of the swimmer when in the water and means to secure the apparatus to the .formed throughout their length to cause-the body'V plate to assumethe c ontour ofthe front area of the trunk of the body and to cause theV front plate to present a streamline surface to the water and means to secure theapparatus tothebody. f p u l l3. A buoyant- .swimming apparatus comi prising'a hollow fluid tight float covering subf stantially the front area of the trunkof the body shapedon'its inner face toconfo'rm to the contour Vof the body and having its outer face: streamlined to present a minimum resistance toA the progress.: of the Vswimmer' through the water, a plurality of ribs extending between theltwo faces of the float each of f said ribs being preshaped `before its assembly along its inner Y edge to conform Atothe outer face of 'thefloat and-acting to maintain 'a xedspaced relation therebetween,-an inflating nipple lcommunicating with the interior of the float operable to be detachably connect--V n ed to an 'inilating means yand-means to secure the apparatus in engagement with the body. 4. A buoyant swimming'suitzcomprising a fabric Vvbody. .covering to be wornupon the body, a body late ofV water proof material 'shapedto con orm withthecontour ofthe front j area vof the trunk of Ithe body,V a 'front plate overlying, spacedfrom' and secured at itsedges to said .bod-y plate to vformV anfair tight chambered float, a plurality of ribs withinsaidfiioatv actingto maintain said front platein'position topresent a streamlined surface to the waterand to maintain a fixed spacedrelation betweensaid front plate' and said body plate, kand a pocket upon the front portion ofsaid body covering to receiveand position said float with' its bodywplate 'conformingr with the contour of the .frontof the body."k n

5, A :buoyant swimming apparatus com-j prising a hollow float' of a thickness substan tially less than its length or breadth having an inner face constructed `to conform to and lCover substantially the wholeV area of the ront portion of the trunk of the body and an outer face shaped to present an aquaplane surface adapted to glide through the water with a minimum of resistance, a plurality of longitudinally-disposed ribs within said hollow float extending laterally between the inner' and outer faces thereof and preshaped i along their inner edges to maintain the inner plate in conformity tothe contour of thel body and along their outer edges to conform to the contour of the outer face and secured at their edges to said inner and outer faces j and means to secure said float tothe body t of the swimmer. v

In testimony whereof, I

name to this specification.

DANIEL SIMON, JR.

have signed my i 

